Paul Gilligan (born 1948) is a retired Irish judge who served on the High Court and subsequently the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

. He was educated at Blackrock College. He attended University College Dublin and the

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...

. Gilligan became a barrister in 1971 and a senior counsel in 1984. He also qualified as mediator. He was a legal advisor to an inquiry into Deposit interest retention tax conducted by the Public Accounts Committee, along with future

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

judges Frank Clarke and

Mary Irvine Mary Irvine (born 10 December 1956) is an Irish judge who was the President of the Irish High Court between 2020 and 2022. She first practiced as a barrister. She was a judge of the High Court between 2007 and 2014. She was a judge of the Cou ...

. He represented Charles Haughey at the McCracken Tribunal. Gilligan was appointed to the High Court in 2003. He managed the Chancery division of the court for several years. He oversaw proceedings related to the occupation and demolition of Apollo House, Dublin and claims arising out of the

Morris Tribunal The Morris Tribunal was a public inquiry to address allegations of the 1990s and early 2000s against the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. Subjects explored included suggestions of corrupt and dishonest policing in County ...

. He was a member of the Judicial Appointments Review Committee and served as President of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary. He advised the judiciary of

Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

on the establishment of a judicial council. He became a Judge of the

in December 2017. A vacancy arose following the appointment of

Mary Finlay Geoghegan Mary Finlay Geoghegan (née Finlay; born 1949) is a retired Irish judge and lawyer. She was appointed to the High Court in 2002 and promoted to a newly established Court of Appeal from 2014. She became a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland ...

to the Supreme Court. He retired in May 2018. He married Mary Cantrell, a solicitor, with whom he has four children.

References

1948 births 21st-century Irish judges 20th-century Irish lawyers Alumni of King's Inns Living people Alumni of University College Dublin Judges of the Court of Appeal (Ireland) High Court judges (Ireland) People educated at Blackrock College {{Ireland-bio-stub